Government treatment of asylum seeker children is 'state-sanctioned child abuse', says Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce

A drawing by an asylum seeker child depicting their experiences in the Christmas Island detention centre.

Supplied: Australian Human Rights Commission

Church leaders have described the Federal Government's treatment of unaccompanied children seeking asylum as "state-sanctioned child abuse".

In a report titled Protecting The Lonely Children, the Australian Churches Refugee Taskforce says Australia's treatment of unaccompanied child asylum seekers is a "sick joke".

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison has flatly rejected the claims, with a spokesperson for the minister describing them as "shocking and offensive".

But the taskforce is calling for him to be stripped of his guardianship role of children in immigration detention.

The report's author, Reverend Dr Peter Catt, says the treatment of children in places like Christmas Island amounts to child abuse.

"The Government knows that it's detrimental to the health and wellbeing of the children and is doing nothing about it," he said.

"In years to come, people will look back and go, 'Well, that's child abuse'."

The taskforce is made up of nine Christian denominations. Its chief executive, Misha Coleman, says the responsibility to care for children is at odds with keeping them in detention.

"We're definitely not singling out this minister, but the way the Act stands in Australia at the moment, the minister for immigration is both the guardian, so the de facto parent, as well as being the jailer, the juror, and the person who determines whether they're sent offshore or not," she said.

"That doesn't happen in other jurisdictions. That's quite an anomaly in the Australian legislative framework.

"So we are not the first organisation to call for there to be an independent statutory guardian that is resourced to have the best interests of the child at heart."

"We will never again stand by and do nothing about child abuse," she said.

"We haven't done primary research in the centres but we have relied on people who visit the centres often and we've relied on a whole range of credible reports, UN committee reports, and we do have a number of letters that we've received directly from children themselves.

"They're biting themselves, they're banging their heads into furniture due to their appalling state of mental health."

Mr Morrison says he has not seen the report.

He says he takes his guardianship responsibilities seriously and that the Government is committed to ensuring children are protected from exploitation and abuse.

The Government says there are currently 153 children on Christmas Island, down from 425 at last year's federal election.

"The number of children in held detention has declined by over 35 per cent under this Government, from more than 1,300 at the time of the election down to 849, and the number of children in detention on Christmas Island has been reduced by more than 60 per cent," Mr Morrison's spokesperson said.